DxD: DO System Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Quest of a Chicken Dinner

The pressure Ddraig exuded was far greater than anything the people in the room could handle. Most of them were already on their knees, and even Riser, who was stronger than Issei in terms of raw power, could barely stay on his feet.

“Gah!” He, too, ultimately cracked under the pressure, forced to release Issei’s collar and drop to one knee.

“I-Issei—” Rias gasped.

“Please… stop.” Akeno clung to the couch, barely maintaining her balance.

But they weren’t the only ones suffering. Issei was enduring far worse.

<It is not advised to proceed further! The host should stop now!>

Even the system warned him to stop, and for good reason.

Issei felt his entire body burning, his nerves being pulled taut like ropes, and his skin felt as though it was being stabbed by a million bees. If he let Ddraig continue any further, he would most likely faint or suffer multiple physical ailments.

However, he continued applying pressure on everyone present — allowing Ddraig to exert his presence over the entire room.

It wasn’t until a shout broke through the room that the pressure finally began to weaken.

“Enough!”

The yell was loud, familiar, and unmistakably angry.

“Issei Hyoudou, you will stop this at once!” Grayfia’s voice rang around the room as she appeared from the Gremory circle, her tone tinged with commanding authority.

Issei looked down, nearly blinded by rage and overtaken by Ddraig’s presence. He saw the devils gasping for air and felt Grayfia applying her own pressure — trying to suppress him without adding to the others’ suffering.

He knew she could easily stop him by overwhelming the entire room with her power. But that would physically hurt everyone else, and thus she used her abilities carefully.

Issei could have broken free of her pressure, but doing so would have been catastrophic. If he exerted his power more strongly to overcome hers, his organs would either burst or suffer a forced shutdown.

In the worst-case scenario, he would die.

Finally coming to his senses, he asked his dragon companion to stop.

‘Ddraig, my body cannot handle this any longer.’

Ddraig’s fury was at its peak, and in his rage, he had ignored Issei’s condition. Hearing his host’s voice and feeling the system’s force crushing his astral body, Ddraig finally lowered his pressure before stopping entirely and regaining control.

‘I—’ The dragon was shocked, embarrassed, and disappointed in himself. ‘I apologize.’

‘It’s fine,’ Issei replied, taking a deep breath. ‘I lost it too.’

“Issei Hyoudou, what you did was an offense,” Grayfia said, her displeasure clear. “However, considering the circumstances, it will be pardoned. Do not repeat it.”

To most, it might have sounded like a warning — and it was. But Issei understood it was her subtle way of protecting him from political conflicts.

“H-He—” Riser gasped for air. “How dare h-he!”

He forced his body back up, still lightheaded from the pressure like everyone else in the room.

“He should be punished!” Riser yelled. “He dared to use his powers on Riser!”

‘This fucker…’ Issei thought, fuming as the blonde devil shouted in his face, spraying spit with every word.

‘Should have just blasted him,’ Ddraig scoffed.

“G-Grayfia,” Rias breathed, sinking into the couch as she tried to recover from the suffocating pressure. “What is this about? What is going on?”

Issei also turned his attention to the Devil Queen, feeling the aftereffects of overexerting his draconic powers. His limbs felt as though they might fall apart, and nausea churned in his stomach. Yet, through sheer determination, he forced himself to remain standing.

He would rather die on his feet than show weakness in front of the Phenex devil.

“Lord Riser,” Grayfia began, addressing the blonde devil first. “It is true that what Issei Hyoudou did was offensive and punishable. However, your visit here is also prohibited. This place is under the governance of Lady Rias and Lady Sona, but it is only leased. Causing trouble here would anger the true owners of this land, and neither you nor the Devil Faction can afford that.”

Issei could tell she was trying to minimize the damage and protect him a little. But she wasn’t wrong.

The original rights to this place belonged to the Shinto Faction. They were, and still are, the actual owners of the land and had only leased it out for a limited period.

If Riser’s unauthorized visit led to conflict, it could very well provoke the Shinto Faction—something the devils absolutely could not afford.

Issei was certain that the recent issues with the Fallen had already caused significant tension among the higher-ups, even if Rias and Sona weren’t aware of it.

“But—”

“Lord Phenex would not appreciate you starting a fight here, Lord Riser,” Grayfia interjected, her tone calm but carrying a subtle threat. “If you wish to pursue this matter further, I will be forced to inform Lord Phenex as well as Lord Lucifer about your desire to punish his younger sister’s peerage member.”

The Phenex devil instantly paled. He feared his father, certainly, and couldn’t afford to let him find out about this visit.

But Lucifer was an entirely different matter.

Riser knew full well that Lucifer valued his sister more than the entire Devil Faction. If worst came to shove, or if his sister asked him to ruin a devil house, he would do so without hesitation.

The only reason Lucifer hadn’t involved himself was out of respect for Lord Gremory, who had arranged this marriage, even though Lucifer clearly wasn’t fond of it.

Riser finally shut his mouth, realizing that his playful visit might not be seen so playfully by the higher-ups.

“As for what is going on, Lady Rias,” Grayfia continued, turning to answer Rias’ earlier question. “After your return from the Gremory Estate, Lord Gremory and Lord Phenex convened to reach an agreement.”

Rias’ face froze at the mention.

“They concluded that delaying the marriage any further would not benefit either family. As such, they have decided to proceed with the marriage soon.”

Grayfia’s words nearly shattered Rias’ world, while Riser felt a nervous but victorious smile creep onto his face.

“But… they said I had time,” Rias said, her voice trembling with pain. “That I could finish my studies.”

“At Lord Gremory’s request, Lord Phenex has agreed to allow you to complete your studies,” Grayfia explained, offering a faint glimmer of hope to Rias. “However, the marriage is still set for next month. You may continue your studies after the wedding.”

“That—” Riser began, intending to argue about Rias continuing her studies, but a sharp look from Grayfia silenced him.

“That is their final decision,” she declared, her gaze shifting between the anxious Phenex and the heartbroken Rias.

“What about the Rating Game?” Rias asked, her voice almost pleading. “It hasn’t been canceled, has it?”

“They have not canceled it,” Grayfia confirmed. “However, it will be held in two weeks’ time. That is why I am here—to inform you.”

“What?” Akeno gasped from the side. “Lady Grayfia, two weeks is far too short for us to train! We only recently added Asia and Issei to our peerage.”

“Unfortunately, Miss Himejima, this is the decision made by both houses, and it cannot be changed,” Grayfia said firmly, as disappointment and anxiety settled over the entire peerage.

“You mean Riser can still punish this bastard during the Rating Game, can’t he?” Riser asked with a sadistic grin. “And when Riser wins, he gets to marry Rias?”

“That is correct, Lord Riser,” Grayfia replied.

Hearing Grayfia’s confirmation, Riser’s grin stretched to its limit. He fixed his gaze on Issei and said in a low, almost hissing voice, “Riser will punish you personally, boy.”

<Quest Alert!>

<Quest: Defeat Riser Phenex without the help of your peerage members!>

<Additional Quest: Humiliate Riser Phenex before the masses!>

<Rewards: {Flash Steps}, [Hat of Night]>

<Additional Rewards: {Fire Magic}>

‘He doesn’t learn, does he?’ Ddraig asked, clearly disgusted by the annoyingly stubborn devil.

“We’ll see,” Issei muttered, not wanting to drag it further. ‘And this is the first time I’m being rewarded with magic in a quest.’

The Demonic Magic didn’t count, and he still had to learn it from Rias—which he planned to do before the Rating Game.

‘You’re getting magic?’ Ddraig sounded amazed. ‘What kind?’

‘Fire.’

This made the dragon even more intrigued. ‘Interesting.’

Riser clearly didn’t like how calm Issei was acting, but he couldn’t do anything about it. Nor could he raise his voice with Grayfia present.

“I would ask you to return to the underworld, Lord Riser,” Grayfia said. “Lord Ruval has requested your return.”

Riser’s eyes widened. “Brother… did?”

Seeing Grayfia nod, the devil gulped and walked toward his peerage.

“Riser will see you soon, Rias,” he said, trying his hardest to maintain a calm smile but failing miserably.

Then his gaze shifted to Issei. “And you—Riser will deal with you soon as well.”

Issei merely glanced at the devil, stunned by how shameless he was. Just a moment ago, Riser was on his knees, yet now he acted confident.

But that was all he heard from the Phenex before the latter vanished through his house’s circle.

However, as Riser was teleporting, Issei made sure to check his status.

<Race: Pure-Blood Devil>

<Rank: Core-High Class>

‘I can face him,’ he told himself.

‘I will force-awaken Juggernaut Drive if I see you losing to that shit-faced devil,’ Ddraig warned.

As the devils disappeared, he noticed a certain blonde girl staring at him from Riser’s peerage. Unfortunately, before he could use his Draconic Eyes, she vanished.

Despite that, Issei knew who she was.

‘Ravel, huh?’ he noted. ‘She might be helpful. Maybe even against Riser.’