Chapter 37: Everyone's Servants

Greyfia once again bowed respectfully and then teleported to another location through the magic circle. She must have headed to Rias and the other Gremory servants. And without feeling any sense of incongruity about the presence of Akeno, Asia, and Koneko on the other side, they would proceed with the explanation of the game.

"Although it's unfortunate for Rias and the others who are planning to fight seriously, let's make them join in our fun."

When I turned around, Akeno and the others let out small laughter.

Amidst the echoing voices of the three, the sound of the clock quietly ticked away.

Waiting for the passage of time, I had the three accompany me and head towards the magic circle.

Enveloped in the rising pillar of light, the scenery of my room transformed into a base on the battlefield.

"Now, we shall commence the Rating Game between the Gremory and Phenex servants. I, Greyfia, a servant of the Gremory family, will be serving as the referee."

Grayfia's voice resonated from what seemed to be the student council room, the destination of the teleportation. It came from the speakers used for announcements within the school. It seemed unmistakably like a school setting, likely a space modeled after the Kuoh Academy attended by Rias and the others.

I sat in the chair reserved for the student council president and casually propped my legs on the desk.

In front of me, Akeno, Asia, and Koneko were lined up.

"Riser-sama, your instructions..."

"Well..."

When asked by Koneko, I lightly twisted my head.

"For today's battlefield, we have recreated the human world's school, 'Kuoh Academy,' where Rias-sama attends. The Gremory faction's headquarters is located in the old school building's Occult Research Clubroom, while the Phenex faction's headquarters is in the new school building's student council room."

Each faction would start from their respective bases and traverse the battlefield to defeat the opposing team's king. This Rating Game had no special rules, just a straightforward battle. The priority was to secure a foothold in the enemy's territory, from which we could launch our attacks.

"To 'promote' a 'pawn' to a higher rank, they must advance to the enemy's headquarters."

Greyfia said that 'pawns' who invaded the enemy's headquarters could be promoted to a higher rank, except for the 'king'. However, we didn't have any 'pawns' on our side. Instead, there was one 'queen,' one 'tank,' and one 'priestess.'

"The time limit for this game is until daybreak. The victory condition is the defeat of the opponent's 'king.'"

How should we fight? Well, it's not something to ponder upon once the game starts.

Though it couldn't be called a strategy, we had already decided on our course of action. We just had to follow the plan.

"Now, please begin the match."

"We'll take the initiative. Capture them all. Treat the men however you like. I don't need any protection. Now, go."

"Yes!"

Saluting, the three swiftly left the room. As they opened the door and stepped into the corridor, they each opened a window in front of them and soared into the sky. Although the student council room was on the top floor, they spread their purple-flamed wings, given to them by my projection body, and dashed through the sky.

We had conducted combat training as a precaution before the start of the Rating Game, so they might be more skilled in using wings than I am. After bidding farewell to the reliable figures of my servants, I stood up and walked toward the window.

The sky in the world created in the separate dimension was white. It felt like daytime.

As I gazed out the window, I heard an explosion in the distance. They must have already destroyed a building or something. It could be my slaves or the Gremory servants. Most likely the former, but the Gremory servants might also have some hidden tricks up their sleeves.

"The Sacred Gear, was it...?"