Chapter 230: Game Start
22:30, Takamine Residence, Second-Floor Master Bedroom.
Glancing at the bright moonlight outside the window, Haruto gently pushed away the smooth, delicate limbs entwined around him.
Two days had passed in the blink of an eye. Apart from attending classes, he had spent this time helping to soothe the restless hearts and bodies of the many young women.
When he formed contracts with Rias and the other two, the girls had been affected to varying degrees.
The stronger they were, the more they sensed.
Reina and her three companions, the mother and daughters of the Takamine household, along with Sakura, Yui, and the other young women who had dual cultivated with him the most, bore the brunt of it.
Although their strength had completely fallen behind Haruto's progress, he wasn't the type to burn bridges after crossing the river.
Back when he was weak, it was thanks to the talents they provided and their joint dual cultivation that he had become who he was now.
So, for these two days, Haruto had wholeheartedly satisfied them, knowing he was about to get busy again.
"Haruto-kun, the match is in one hour. Gather at the clubroom."
Just as Haruto finished dressing, Akeno's alluring voice came through the soul network.
After her power increased, the senior known as the Lightning Priestess had been eager to test her abilities. Now, with ready prey delivered to their doorstep, she was thrilled.
After a brief acknowledgment, Haruto quickly made his way to the Occult Research Club.
Inside the retro European-style room, the dim space was illuminated only by the flickering orange flame of a candle on the coffee table, enhancing the medieval ambiance.
Though the lighting was poor, everyone present was a demon, so their vision was completely unaffected; in fact, it was even sharper.
Holding the Rating Game at this hour served two purposes: to minimize impact on the human world and to allow them to fight at their full potential.
A demon's strength at midnight could be ten to twenty percent greater than during the day, and some demon techniques could only be used at night.
"Haruto-kun, good evening."
Rias sat cross-legged in the chair behind the desk, a cup of red tea in her hand, greeting Haruto with a cheerful smile. She showed no signs of tension before the impending battle.
This wasn't just because he had given her strong confidence, but more due to her inherent personality.
She always maintained composure and calm, which greatly reassured her servants. No matter how much pressure she faced, she would bear it alone silently.
The moment Haruto sat down, the white-haired loli adjusting her gauntlets settled into his lap.
After finding a comfortable position in her designated spot, Koneko happily narrowed her eyes.
Asia and Mittelt watched Koneko with a hint of envy, but one was too tsundere and the other too shy to openly compete, leaving them to secretly admire while unable to make any moves.
Smelling the faint fragrance from the white-haired loli, Haruto could only smile wryly and let her be.
There was still some time left. With the alluring cat-eared loli in his arms, Haruto quietly waited for the appointed hour.
Creak—
The clubroom door swung open, revealing Sona and Tsubaki.
Seeing their slender, elegant figures illuminated by candlelight, Haruto, who had just rested for a while, felt a stirring below.
Feeling the movement beneath her, Koneko unhappily wriggled her petite buttocks a few times.
He had held her for so long without any reaction, yet the moment the president and vice president appeared, he started to stir...
Hmph!
Haruto clicked his tongue, finally managing to soothe the cat-eared loli.
It wasn't really his fault—while cuteness was nice, it couldn't quite compare to sex appeal.
Though Tsubaki and Sona's figures weren't as exaggerated as Rias or Akeno's, their slender builds made their beautiful legs all the more captivating and tempting.
Plump, fleshy thighs were good, but long, slender, and straight legs hit Haruto's preferences perfectly.
"President Sona, and Tsubaki, what brings you here?"
Rias set down her black tea and explained to Haruto, "The Rating Game is broadcasted to those connected to the participants. They're here to handle the broadcast."
"I proposed it myself, since this is Rias's first Rating Game," Sona said, her exquisite face expressionless as she spoke matter-of-factly.
"I can't let my rival see a shameful battle."
Rias smiled faintly—they were friends, but also competitors.
She wondered what expression Sona would make after seeing their current strength.
As soon as she finished speaking, a silvery-white magic circle appeared, and a silver-haired beauty in a conservative maid outfit—whose curvaceous figure was impossible to conceal—materialized before everyone.
"Is everyone ready?"
"Yes, anytime."
"At the designated time, please use this magic circle to teleport to the combat space."
"Combat space?"
Maria, who was there as a cheerleader, tilted her head in confusion, while Mio beside her—also just there to cheer—wore an equally puzzled expression.
Remembering that there were two "country bumpkin" demons present, Akeno kindly explained, "It's a dimension specially created for Rating Games."
"Since it's a manufactured space, you can do anything extravagant without worry~ Hehe~"
As she spoke, Akeno couldn't help but narrow her eyes, resting her cheek seductively on one hand.
A drop of cold sweat formed on the succubus loli's forehead as she thought, Extravagant? More like 'go all out with destruction'...
"I'll return to the student council room, which will serve as the broadcast site," Sona said. "Good luck, Rias."
"Thank you. Please keep the broadcast fair."
"Of course."
Sona paused, then glanced back at Rias. "But personally, I just think that guy from the Phenex family isn't worthy of you."
Delivering the harshest words in the calmest tone—truly fitting for the student council president.
Hearing Sona's remark, Haruto, Rias, and the others all broke into smiles.
"By the way, for this battle, the Devil King Lucifer will also be watching."
Grayfia's single sentence shattered the relaxed atmosphere.
Haruto curled his lips in disdain, scornful of the notion that becoming a Devil King meant one couldn't show favoritism toward family.
Unfortunately, given his current strength, he was powerless to challenge the upper echelons of the Underworld. No matter how displeased he felt, he could only keep his frustrations to himself for now.
Rias, too, couldn't quite grasp her brother's intentions.
Logically, with Haruto's appearance, Sirzechs should no longer support the marriage alliance with the Phenex family.
Yet, Grayfia's attitude toward her had remained ambiguous from start to finish.
Especially telling was how she had referred to him as "Lucifer, the Devil King"—a clear hint that she was acting in the interests of the Underworld, not the Gremory family...
Shaking off these tangled thoughts, Rias knew that even if she gave up now, Haruto wouldn't. They had come too far to turn back.
If someone had to bear the blame, it absolutely couldn't be her!
"The time has come."
As they spoke, the match's start time arrived. The silvery magic circle shifted to a vivid crimson.
The bloody glow intertwined with the dim candlelight, creating an undeniably demonic ambiance.
Just before teleportation, Haruto muttered a complaint in his mind.
A ripple of spatial energy flashed by. After a brief moment of dizziness, Haruto noticed his surroundings hadn't changed at all.
Except the Naruse sisters and the silver-haired beauty were gone, confirming the teleportation had succeeded.
"It seems this place is the same as in the original timeline..."
The subsequent magical amplification of Grayfia's voice confirmed Haruto's assumption.
[I am Grayfia, maid of the Gremory family, appointed as the referee for the match between the Gremory and Phenex families.]
[The battlefield has been replicated based on the suggestions of Lady Rias and Lord Riser, modeled after Kuoh Academy, the human-world school Lady Rias attends.]
Haruto pushed open the window and saw the sky outside had transformed into a strangely undulating cyan spatial barrier.
[Both sides, pay attention.]
[Your teleportation destinations are your respective bases. Lady Rias's base is the activity room of the Occult Research Club.]
[Lord Riser's base is the principal's office in the school building.]
[Thus, infiltrating the opponent's building allows you to use the promotion ability of your Pawn pieces.]
Haruto didn't pay much mind to the rules. After all, he lacked the enhancements from the Evil Pieces, rendering all rules irrelevant to him.
Moreover, he didn't need the advantages the rules provided.
If Akeno and the others hadn't insisted on stretching their limbs, Haruto would have taken on all sixteen opponents alone, giving that blond pheasant a taste of true despair.
[Then, Game Start.]
With the silver-haired beauty's voice fading, both sides sprang into action simultaneously.