DxD: The Sorcery System Chapter 42

Chapter 42: The Underworld


[Early Morning — Occult Research Club, Kuoh Academy]


“You ready?” Rias asked, smiling. “This is your first time visiting the Underworld.”


I was nervous—extremely so. And who wouldn’t be, if they were about to enter another realm, especially one where Devils roamed free?


As a human, my anxiety was understandable.


Yet, Rias wasn’t much better.


Behind her smile, I could see a hint of worry. She had been training tirelessly, for hours on end, yet she knew this wouldn’t be easy. Above all, her future depended on it.


“Iz the Undorworld zcary, Rias?” Asia asked in her broken Japanese, which she had been learning recently.


“It’s not, Asia,” Rias assured her. “It will welcome you with open arms, especially our Gremory family.”


“Lady Gremory is very kind, Asia,” Akeno added. “She’ll make you feel right at home.”


This made the former nun very happy.


Wait, was she still a nun?


Officially, she wasn’t. But she still dressed like one.


Faith can be a complex thing sometimes, can’t it?


But for Asia, faith was everything. And everyone in this room seemed to accept that.


And since the others didn’t bring it up, I had to remind her.


“Asia,” she looked at me as I called her name. “Since we’re going to the Underworld, try not to say the Lord’s name in front of the devils.”


She looked confused. “Why iz that?”


I leaned closer to her ear and whispered, “They were cursed, and if you mention his name, they feel pain.”


Her eyes widened. “B-but hiz name bringz peace—”


“It wasn’t exactly a curse,” Rias emphasized. “It’s more that we aren’t able to speak his name.”


Considering how they often clutched their heads at the mention of God, I couldn’t think of any other term except for ‘curse.’


But if Rias didn’t want to call it that, who was I to argue?


“Anyway, we should get going,” Kiba said, with Koneko nodding beside him. “Lord and Lady Gremory must be waiting.”


Rias sighed and nodded. “I guess it’s time, everyone. Time to see if our training has paid off.”


Given how much they’ve trained, I hoped they’d improved enough.


And let’s see how much I’ve improved.


After all, a major quest depended on this too.


…

…


[Same Time — Phenex Estate, Underworld]


{Riser Phenex}


It was time.


Time for Riser to prove to everyone that he had always been right—superior and more honorable than any other.


The Rating Game was already decided.


There was no possible way Riser could lose. Even if they cheated, Riser's victory was guaranteed.


“Lord Riser, we have the map of the arena.”


The map was essential, as the choice of battleground had been in Rias’ favor.


But Riser didn’t mind. After all, Rias was at a disadvantage. She had been given the option to choose the terrain because of that, and Riser had allowed it.


It didn’t matter.


No battlefield she chose, no human she brought, could match Riser or his peerage.


It was all a pointless struggle—a rebellious girl’s tantrum.


But that was fine; Riser’s victory was already assured.


“The design they chose replicates the school they attend,” Yubelluna explained. “Everything is the same, except there will be no electricity or equipment other than the normal desks, tables, and benches.”


“It doesn’t matter,” Riser replied calmly. “Memorize the map. Identify each corridor and hiding spot they might use to their advantage.”


It wasn’t that Riser feared they would pose a threat; it was that they would be annoying if they hid in those areas for long.


Dragging out a match was the most irritating tactic. And the only kind of match-dragging that was entertaining was the kind done by the Phenex.


Because that was the Phenex’s ability.


“As you wish, Lord Riser.” Yubelluna was always submissive to Riser. She bowed and left immediately to inform the other girls of his orders.


Truly a great queen.


While she might feel threatened by Riser’s marriage, she needn’t worry.


Rias might become Riser’s wife in name, but she would always be below Yubelluna and the other girls.


After all, a wallflower need not involve herself in the politics of her husband.


…

…


[Gremory Estate, Underworld]


It was difficult to tell the time in this place.


The sky was a deep purple, the air felt fresh but artificial, and there was a certain pressure on my shoulders.


Heavier gravity? That was a possibility.


But the strangest thing of all was the sun.


It lit up the area, and despite the purple hue to the sky, it still felt like the sky I was used to seeing.


That’s how powerful devil magic was.


And from what I knew, it was the creation of the current Satans.


I could only imagine how ridiculously powerful they must be to create something as immense as a sun.


“Welcome to the Underworld,” Rias said with a broad smile. “Asia, Reo.”


Asia was entranced by the artificial beauty of the place, her eyes wide as she took in the fake rivers and plants.


No, the plants weren’t fake, but they weren’t natural either. They were artificially—forcefully—grown.


“It’s a pretty place,” I said, though it felt a little off. It was still beautiful and clean.


And coming from me, a Japanese guy who lives in one of the world’s cleanest countries, that meant something.


As I was about to move ahead to get a closer look at the plants, we all heard a familiar voice.


“I apologize that you had to come on your own, Lady Rias.”


Standing before us was Rias’ sister-in-law, the wife of Satan Lucifer—who, strangely enough, was dressed in a maid's attire—who had come to greet us.


“It’s fine, Grayfia,” Rias assured her. “I know you’ve been busy, and I can’t always trouble you with every small issue.”


See? I told you, Rias had matured a lot.


“I still apologize for the inconvenience.”


Watching the wife of Satan Lucifer apologize felt strange. She was extremely strong, had higher skills and abilities than Rias, and definitely held more authority… right?


I mean, being the wife of Satan himself had to be a higher position than being the daughter of a powerful devil family.


There had to be a reason for all this, right?


I doubted it was just a weird hobby of hers to dress as a maid; there had to be a bigger picture behind it all.


“And I hope you two are comfortable in the devil world, Reo and Asia.”


Despite Asia and I being mere humans with no political or social power, she still addressed us with respect.


“It’s a lovely place, Lady Grayfia.”


I called her Lady Grayfia, still unsure about the proper addressing etiquette. I needed to ask Rias about it. Grayfia was a member of House Gremory while being the wife of Lucifer—who, mind you, had to give up his family title—yet she kept her maiden surname of Lucifuge.


So darn complex, so I simply called her Lady Grayfia.


“Lord and Lady Gremory are awaiting your arrival,” she said. “Please, come with me.”


Asia and I exchanged a glance, both of us feeling a bit out of place. But I gave her a nod of reassurance.


Noticing this, Akeno whispered, “Don’t be worried. Just think of it as another place you’re visiting, one you might even settle in one day.”


The latter part was a not-so-subtle reminder that they still wanted us to join their peerage.


“Let’s go,” Rias said with a smile. With a more focused heart, we followed her toward her home.


Calling it a house was an understatement. What we approached wasn’t a house but a mansion large enough to encompass half a town on its own.


The garden alone took us a considerable amount of time to walk through, and Rias told me that the land, as far as I could see—and beyond—was owned by the Gremory family.


That gave me an idea of just how wealthy they were. Now it made sense how they could rebuild entire streets overnight if they were destroyed.


“Don’t be nervous,” Akeno said again.


As she spoke, Rias called out, “Mother, Father, I have arrived.”


It sounded ridiculous, way too formal. If I announced my arrival in such a manner, my mom would think I had gone crazy.


But things were different for families as rich, powerful, and supernatural as Rias’.


We stood in the hall—a space large enough to fit an entire apartment complex—and waited for the arrival of Lord and Lady Gremory.


Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait long.


“Rias?”


We heard a voice—a feminine, seductive, honeyed voice.


And guess what?


The owner of that voice was even more feminine, seductive, and sweet than her voice suggested.


A gorgeous woman with shoulder-length, roughly cut brown hair, bright purple eyes, a perfect nose, and full lips.


And needless to say, like every devil I’d seen—except Koneko—she boasted an extremely seductive figure with large breasts, wide hips, and an equally enticing ass.


I could see where Rias got the best of her genes from; they shared almost identical looks, except for the hair and eyes.


Which clearly came from someone else.


“Ah, you’re finally here, Rias.”


Her father.


Walking down the staircase just moments after Rias’ mother was her father.


A ridiculously handsome man with red hair, blue eyes, a tall height, a well-built physique, and a regal sense of style.


If Kiba was considered pretty, then this man was the true definition of handsome.


It was ridiculous how perfect the devil genes were when it came to physical appearance.


But it made sense.


Devil’s Seduction.


That was a thing.


“I’m glad you’ve finally arrived,” her mother expressed, gracefully descending the stairs.


And I didn’t need to check their status; I felt it as they walked down.


They were strong, extremely so. And I could see how Rias was a High-Class Devil.


She was born privileged and powerful.


However…


“Looks like I’m right on time.”


All of that paled in comparison to the presence of the new arrival.


“Perfectly in time to meet my dear sister.”


And unlike before, when I had to open the status window manually…


This time—


{Supernatural Being with Terrifying Power Detected!}


{Name: Sirzechs Gremory Lucifer}


{Class: Super-Class Devil}


{Threat Level: Death}


{Type: Pure-Blood Devil}


{Reo is strictly advised not to engage with this being.}


{Reo is advised to… RUN!}


Just… what kind of monster is Rias’ brother?


________________________________________________________________________


[AN: I know that I said these two chapters will be the Rating game, but it just didn’t make sense to directly jump into the rating game without introducing the Gremory members, especially since they are such key players.


P.S. It’s not a typo, I intentionally wrote Asia’s dialogue like that.



Venelana Gremory

]