Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
May 3, 2008 - Serena Pov.
The day of the Rating Game between Rias and Riser finally arrived. I had fervently refused to help Rias any more than I had already done by handing Gae Buidhe over. So, I simply spent the previous days researching divine metals in my lab and tending to Pentagram City.
From what I remembered, the Rating Game would be simply monitored by both families, each in their own place, while Grayfia would act as the referee.
But that changed considerably when I entered the equation. I didn't even do anything; I simply wasn't going to leave Ravel alone. I didn't know what she would face if Riser and the others found out about my involvement in helping Rias.
Initially, I was going to watch it with Riser's family at their castle. But Sirzechs decided to change everything at the last minute.
We strolled through Kuoh Academy until we finally reached the monitoring room. I simply waved my hand, and the door in front of us opened. Ravel was the first to enter.
"Ah! The beautiful fried chicken sister!" I could hear Issei exclaim loudly. I froze as soon as I took a step inside the room. I could feel my eye twitch slightly as I calmed down slightly.
"I thought I told you to handle your slave better, Rias," Ravel said dryly.
"Hmm? I'm sure my cute servant didn't say anything wrong, Ravel." Rias said with a thin smile. I finally entered the room and took a look around. As I had expected, everything changed slightly. In the novel, both families watched the Rating Game from different places. However, there was now an entourage of people watching the Rating Game in the same room. Starting with Sirzechs and his parents, along with Riser's parents.
Finally, there was Rias and her Peerage on one side of the room, while Riser and his Peerage were on the opposite side. Both of them were glaring at each other.
And interestingly, there was also Sona and her queen. If I remembered correctly, in the novels, Sona didn't appear at this point. In the anime, she acted as a witness and monitored the Rating Game or whatever, but when the Gremorys and Phenex were watching the Rating Game, there was no need for her at all.
But I guess, with so many prominent devils gathered here, and Sona being partially the owner of Kuoh, she should act as the host, even if she wasn't really involved.
Ravel and I were the last to arrive.
"How tall!!" Issei exclaimed as soon as he saw me, and I blinked slightly. Was I tall? I mean, I was over 1.90 meters thanks to The Company's talents, but I had never taken the time to really consider it. I looked around slightly and realized that yes, I was really tall.
I am taller than Sirzechs, who was over 1.80 meters tall, and Lord Phenex, who was slightly taller than Sirzechs. Neither of them could come close to my height, even if I were barefoot, which was only further emphasized by the fact that I was wearing platform boots that put me closer to 2 meters.
I looked at Ravel, who was 1.53 meters tall, maintaining that height because she was barefoot, as she had been lately, and I realized I was two full heads taller than her. I blinked a few more times. Did it bother her?
The blush and mental images Ravel sent through our mental connection quickly told me that no, it didn't bother her in the least; in fact, she quite liked the height difference. I smiled slightly; it was good to know.
"A model!?!? Who is that beauty!? She may not have as many curves as I'd like, but she's really beautiful!" Issei exclaimed as he looked at me, and I shuddered considerably. That one disgusted me almost as much as hearing Sirius Black or James Potter trying to flirt with me.
"Ara, Ara, be nice, Isse, this is Serena Prince. Better known as the Prince of Succubi, the Prince of Metal, and possibly most importantly, the Prince of Commoner Devils." Akeno said, and my eyebrows nearly rose in surprise. What the hell is with those titles?!
I could hear Ravel laughing at me in my mind as she covered herself with her fan.
" That's what they've been calling you, Sera. You may not be connected to the rumors and gossip, but Pentagram City is on the lips of every Devil, Pillar, and Commoner alike. They're all staring at the city. A city made for Commoner Devils. And your last name just gave them fodder for nicknames." Ravel said amusedly. I grimaced.
"Still, why does metal keep chasing me?" I grunted annoyedly. Ravel laughed lightly.
"That one actually originated in our town, and they almost always refer to the statue in your honor by that name because, well, it's made of bronze, and all the jewelry that's left around and all, so yeah. I guess the significance got lost outside of town." Ravel said simply, then smiled amusedly. "It also doesn't help that you constantly wear almost 5kg of metal on you in the form of jewelry." Ravel scoffed. I pouted.
"Prince? Isn't she a woman?! Someone check her hardware immediately! No- wait! You said succubi! Busty and big-assed devils hungry for sex?! Lascivious devils, slaves of pleasure?! Do they exist?! Where can I get one of those?! " Issei asked excitedly, and I finally lost it. I let all my demonic energy out of my body. Stars began to emerge all over my body while the stars in my eyes shone brightly.
I took a step forward and appeared in front of Issei. Issei seemed to catch his breath when he had to look up to look at me. I glared at him coldly. Issei held his breath when I slowly raised my hand and brought it closer to his face, my nails slowly growing out and almost touching his forehead. The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could register them. I'd never successfully used that curse in this life, but now I would.
" Avada Kedav -"
"Serena!" Sirzechs appeared beside me and grabbed my wrist tightly. A shaky smile appeared on his face. I finally regained my composure and frowned as I looked at Sirzechs's hand and grimaced. Sirzechs seemed to understand and immediately let go of me while raising his hands in surrender.
I clicked my tongue. Finally, I suppressed all my demonic power again, and I could see Issei start to breathe once more as he collapsed in shock. Really, I wasn't bothered in the least that I had almost killed Issei.
"I hope that's not the standard you hold your servants to, Rias Gremory." I said coldly as I looked at Rias. Rias paled slightly.
"O-Of course not, Lady Prince! I'm sorry about that! And please forgive my pawn, he's merely a newly reincarnated and too honest for his own good! I didn't mean to offend you or the succubi in any way!" Rias said quickly as she bowed slightly. I clicked my tongue and simply nodded.
"Very well, Rias Gremory." I said with a grimace. "Even so, your worst is completely banned and denied all services offered by succubi and cannot enter Pentagram City." I said simply. I looked at Issei, and for some reason, that woke him up.
" Noooo!! My succubi!!" Issei yelled in pain. I looked at Rias and raised an eyebrow in her direction. Rias had the decency to blush at her pawn's embarrassment. I rolled my eyes and ignored Issei. Akeno had walked up to him and was urgently whispering things in his ear.
"Reinhard, Elise." I greeted my practically in-laws.
" Serena, my dear, it's a pleasure to see you again!" Elise said as she gave me a tight hug. I moaned slightly and nodded. She pulled away, and I looked at Lord Phenex. He simply nodded and looked at me curiously.
"What magic were you about to use? It felt like death," Lord Phenex said curiously. That seemed to get some attention. Uh... so he could feel that. I suppose that was why Sirzechs stopped me immediately. I just smiled slightly.
"Nothing to worry about, just a little killing curse. A painless, instant death curse, it causes no harm to the body and leaves no trace of violence. It just kills." I said lightly, and suddenly there was a deathly silence.
" S -she's joking, isn't she? " Issei whispered urgently to his friends.
"I... don't think she is." Kiba said with a tight smile. I could hear Ravel sigh.
"Behave yourself," Ravel said, lightly hitting me on the arm. I smiled innocently at her.
"I always behave myself." I said with a smile. I could hear Riser snort from afar. I smiled slightly, leaned in, and kissed Ravel chastely on the lips. I could hear Issei gasp.
"Two women kissing?! Is Yuri real?! Is-" Akeno covered Issei's mouth tightly as she looked at Issei once again with a grimace. Akeno paled slightly as she held onto Issei's mouth to prevent him from blurting out another stupid thing. I snorted lightly.
"So, when is this going to start?" I asked blandly.
"Now! You're just in time! " Sirzechs chimed in with a smile. "We're merely here as observers. Sona-chan, our beloved host, prepared this room for us to use as a monitoring room. And my beloved Grayfia-chan, will be the one refereeing the Rating Game." Sirzechs said happily. I nodded and looked at Sona.
"Miss Sitri, it's a pleasure to see you again. Thank you for your hospitality." I said with a smile. Sona looked surprised but quickly smiled and nodded.
"It's no problem, Lady Prince. And if… It's not too much trouble, I wanted to talk to you about Pentagram City." Sona said with a slight twinkle in her eyes. I looked at her, intrigued.
"Oh? About the city? " I asked curiously, Sona nodded.
"Yes, I find it fascinating, a city for common devils. What's the curriculum? What educational levels does Pentagram offer? What is the education of the general population? What is the cost of education?" Sona asked quickly. I blinked a couple of times. She was really into this, wasn't she?
"The general curriculum that all the devils receive. There's an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school. Each for around 1,000 students, which, I must say, there are still quite a few vacancies because... well, there aren't enough kids for it."
"There are staff and teachers among the devils who came to the city, several of them who deserved a promotion to the administrative level, even as directors, but the pillar devils denied them several times. I had my pawn investigate them and place them where they belong. I simply let them take care of the curriculum, then review it and accept it."
"Now, there are several universities, depending on the specialization. Again, administrative staff and professors are plentiful when they are despised in other cities, so they are reorganizing themselves quite well."
"There's still no general census to determine the population's educational level. But it's mandatory through high school, so I hope that will be the level in a few years."
"And since education is compulsory, public, and free, universities pay tuition, which is still quite low compared to other cities, but they're a fairly significant number. And… would that be all?" I asked in Sona's direction. Sona's eyes widened slightly.
"Public education? Nobody pays fees, tuition, or anything? " Sona asked incredulously, and I shrugged.
"Making education compulsory and then forcing them to pay is the same as stealing. Especially when there are no other school options. So no, it's completely free. All salaries and funding come from taxes." I said simply.
"But… wouldn't you want to make money or something?" Sona insisted once again, and I tilted my head in confusion.
"Money? What do I want money for? All the money the city earns from taxes and other sources is used for the city's benefit. What would I want money for?" I asked, confused, and Sona's expression was utterly shocked. I looked at her, confused, before hearing Ravel laugh next to me. I looked at the others who were also looking at me strangely. I frowned slightly and looked at Ravel. "Did I say something wrong?" I asked, confused. Ravel just smiled at me beautifully.
"No, you said exactly what you had to say," Ravel said mischievously as she grabbed the collar of my clothes and pulled me towards her. She stood on her toes and kissed me lightly. I kissed her back. I ignored Issei's muffled scream and the questions he was asking about what we were talking about.
Sirzechs finally cleared his throat. I pulled away and sighed against Ravel's lips. I gave her one last chaste kiss and pulled away, straightening up.
"As… interesting as Serena City is, we have a Rating Game to play! If you would, my dear!? " Sirzechs said as he looked at Grayfia. She nodded and stepped forward.
He quickly began explaining everything I already knew, and just as I expected, the Rating Game proceeded precisely the same way as canon. The battlefield was a replica of Kuoh Academy, where we were now. We watched both teams slowly prepare, and then they were teleported to their respective bases. After some final preparation, the match finally began.
Riser may have improved since I first faced him, but since he had left most of the Rating Game to his servants, Rias decided to handle them just like in canon.
Oh, Riser's servants had definitely improved as well. They hadn't just sat there while Bella repeatedly kicked their asses in the Rating Games, but had actually improved considerably. But... quality over quantity?
None of Riser's servants had a Sacred Gear or had a special ancestry that gave them an advantage, so losing to Sword Birth, Booster Gear, a Nekomata, and a Fallen Angel, as limited as they still are, was practically expected.
The only difference began once Kiba and Issei attacked, along with the other members of Riser's Peerage. Kiba practically fled the place, saving himself from elimination by Yubelluna, causing her to focus on Issei.
The rooftop fight between Rias and Riser, the former attacking while Riser simply laughed at Rias's attempt, was interrupted when Kiba finally appeared. He removed the sword he had been carrying unused at his waist and began removing the talismans.
Gae Buidhe finally showed its full splendor, and Riser frowned.
"And that sword?" Riser asked almost contemptuously. Kiba's expression hardened. He didn't even bother to respond; he just lunged at Riser, and Riser stood still without a care.
But there was something to be said for Riser's instincts when, at the last second, his body moved quickly to dodge, yet he was too slow, and a wound formed on his arm. Riser groaned slightly and clutched his arm.
I watched in disbelief as the wound didn't begin to heal.
"Harpe." Riser muttered fearfully.
"It isn't." Kiba replied. "Though I must thank Lady Prince for the idea. This sword is of my own creation." Kiba lied with a smile and lunged again. This time, Riser tried to move, but in shock, he had reacted too slowly, and Kiba slashed at Riser's thigh, tripping him up.
Riser attempted to fly away, only for Rias to intercept him with a beam of destruction that blew half his body away. Kiba took advantage of the moment and attacked Riser again in the air.
Yubelluna seemed to understand that her king was in danger and was trying to get rid of Issei. But she had to admit that he was like a cockroach; he wasn't fighting her head-on; it seemed his job was simply to distract her. And that meant continuing to fire his Dragon Shoots every time she tried to get away.
Riser wouldn't usually have been hit by Kiba, even if he was a speed knight; Riser's speed was undoubtedly higher. But the initial shock caused Riser to be hurt enough to slow him down considerably.
Gae Buidhe's curse. Every time Riser regenerated, but the wounds made by the sword still remained.
"Give up, Riser! You can't win! " Rias said grandiloquently. Riser growled loudly.
"Never!" Riser growled, his body bursting into flames, only for Rias to begin bombarding him with beams of the power of destruction. The following exchange was repeated several times.
"Surrender, Riser. You couldn't defeat Lady Prince Harpe. You have no hope against my knight's sword." Rias said arrogantly. Riser was kneeling, bleeding from dozens of minor wounds. Nothing fatal, but they were definitely starting to take their toll.
Riser's gaze turned almost frantic as he looked from side to side. The duo of Rias and Kiba was undoubtedly causing him trouble, and he couldn't win. Rias's Power of Destruction was strong enough to destroy and defend against anything Riser threw at them, and she was just as fast as he was, so Rias could easily immobilize him.
If the pair hadn't had Gae Buidhe, they would have definitely lost a long time ago. The sword and the wounds that were piling up were taking their toll on him, and at this point, there was no way he could win.
And Riser finally realized. He looked down before raising his head with a completely blank stare.
"I give up."